Taking your first steps into the business world can be both exciting and daunting. On one hand you’ve got the positive fact you’re standing on your own two feet and running a start-up that works with something you’re probably very passionate about. Then on the other hand there’s the fact you now have a wealth of responsibilities to deal with and manage by yourself.
While there’s areas such as production, deliveries and man-management to consider, one very important aspect to your business is health and safety. No matter how many staff you have, having procedures and protocols in place are essential for protecting your employees. If you don’t have these in place and something were to happen, your staff are well within their rights to make a claim against you.
So to help point you in the right direction, in this post you’ll find a few examples of what you need for your start-up and some advice on the best practices to follow at work.
The Basics
First and foremost, there are prerequisites needed in terms of facilities and getting in line with legal requirements. This includes:
- Drinking water, toilets and washing facilities
- An area for eating and breaks
- Appropriate lighting, decent ventilation and climate controls (especially in businesses where machinery is used)
- Cleanliness and waste disposal
- Disabled access (very important to avoid any human rights violations)
- All equipment and furniture is fit for purpose and safe to use
- Safe exits are clearly defined
Designate Roles
What you can also do is draw up your company health and safety policy and designate roles to more senior staff members. For example you could have fire marshals to manage drills and guide people safely out of the premises in the event of a fire. Also you should have a few trained first aid staff ready for any potential injuries that might happen.
Encourage Safe Practices
As alluded to above, you should regularly carry out fire drills and also encourage staff to be extra vigilant about the workplace. Finally, as the manager you should encourage safe practice for all areas of your business and reinforce just how important being safe is.
It really isn’t difficult to stay on the right side of safety, plus there are other benefits to staying safe. Your staff will appreciate being protected and by having the right facilities you can reduce the risk of illness or staff absence.
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